Because They Left
by wilyoldjane
Summary: Hermione leaves with Ron on the Horcrux-Hunt. What will Harry do now?


**AN: Hi everyone! I know I have not posted anything for a long time. Battling depression and writing doesn't mix – at least not for me.**

**Here now the first chapter of a new story: BECAUSE THEY LEFT**

**ENJOY!**

**Wilyoldjane**

**Prologue**

'Leave the Horcrux,' Harry said.

Ron wrenched the chain from over his head and cast the locked onto a nearby chair. He turned to Hermione.

'What are you doing?'

'What do you mean?'

'Are you staying, or what?'

'I…' Hermione looked thorn from her boyfriend to Harry than back to Ron.

'I get it. You choose him' Ron bellowed and ran out of the tent. She looked alarmed.

'No Ron, no – please – wait for me! Wait!' She called after her boyfriend. Dropping her Shield Charm she ran out after Ron.

Harry stood rooted on the spot, silently listening and waiting. Minutes ticked by and became an hour. Neither Ron nor Hermione returned. Shaking Harry stumbled to his bunk bed. They had left him! The two people Harry trusted more than anyone else, who had promised to stand by him no matter what had left him, leaving him alone to complete the hunt for the Horcruxes. Pulling his blanked up to his chin Harry looked unseeingly at the dark roof. He didn't know how long he stared into darkness before the shock lessened enough to let him slip into sleep.

When Harry woke at mid-morning the next day the sun was already high. His first gaze went to Hermione's bunk than to Ron's. They had not come back yet. Harry busied himself in the kitchen. Preparing himself some tea and toast he sat down to think. He was alone. He had one Horcrux but no possibility to destroy it. Looking at the locked that was seemingly innocently laying on the chair where Ron had left it last night. Harry made a move to put it on but stopped in mid motion. It had been difficult enough to wear it in turn with Ron and Hermione. He shuddered by the thought to wear it all the time. Looking around Harry found a sugar pot. Emptying the sugar into an empty cup Harry put the Horcrux into the pot and the pot into an empty drawer. Drawing his wand he sealed the drawer with the strongest locking charm he knew. It wasn't an optimal solution but the only one he could think of at the moment.

Over the rest of the day Harry busied himself with small tasks around the tent. He washed the dishes by hand, cleaned and repaired his clothes with household charms he had watched Mrs. Weasley use countless times and picked up generally around the tent. All the time Harry kept listening into the still heavily pouring rain a not so small part of him still hoping, that Ron and Hermione would return. The hours ticked by and when the night came and Harry turned in for another restless night he finally accepted that the times of Gryffindors Golden Trio were gone for good.

The next morning found Harry weighting his options. They had discussed visiting his parents' home in Godrics Hollow but the more Harry thought about it the more it seemed inevitable to him that Voldemort had followers there to catch him. Harry sighed. He couldn't do this alone. But who would help him?

Flashback

_Then Ted said, 'And where do you two fit in? I, er, had the impression the goblins were for You-Know-Who, on the whole.'_

'_You had a false impression,' said the higher voiced of the goblins. 'We take no sides. This is a wizards' war.'_

_J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows_

End Flashback

Harry sat up straight. The goblins! They might not want to take a side in the war but at least they wouldn't turn him over to the Ministry or to Voldemort. For the right prize they might even help him. But how would he get into the bank without being recognized? Having an idea, Harry finally grinned: Yes, Polyjuice would do. After searching the tent for nearly an hour Harry sat down horrified. Hermione had taken her bag with her.

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Only a few months ago he had sworn never to return to Privet Drive. But, the problem was that all the money they had had with them had been in Hermione's bag and beggars couldn't be choosers. Harry had tramped most of the distance. He didn't dare to apparate, not knowing if the Ministry would be able to trace his steps or what would happen if he splinched himself. Taking the Knight Bus had not been an option, too. He would probably be captured before he could say Quidditch. It was a good hour before dawn on a Saturday morning only a few days after Hermione and Ron had left when Harry climbed through a shattered window in the backyard.

The ground floor of the house was a mess. After the wards had fallen the Death Eaters seemed to have stormed the house. Windows and several pieces of furniture had been broken. The walls had scorch marks from curses hurled at them, partly in frustration, partly in trying to hit one of the polyjuiced members of the Order. Harry couldn't help to think that Aunt Petunia would have been horrified by the state of her house. For the first time he wondered if Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley had reached their destination safely. He despised them and surely didn't want to meet any of them ever again, but he hoped they were alright.

Slowly and cautiously Harry made his way upstairs. He avoided the creaking parts more out of habit than fear that anyone would hear him in the deserted house. Harry's destination was the bedroom of his aunt and uncle. He knew that Uncle Vernon had hid money somewhere in the bedroom – an idea he must have gotten out of a movie because imagination really wasn't Vernon's strong point. Apart from Dudley who could be quite inventive when it would bring Harry into trouble the Dursley's had always lacked imagination. His loving relatives prided themselves to be normal. Harry however had his doubts about this. Normal people didn't lock their nephew in the cupboard under the stairs. Normal people didn't put locks on a child's door and only let their nephew out twice a day so he could use the loo. Normal people didn't nearly starve a child purely out of the reason that they were jealous of said child's dead mother or because the child had the unique ability to do magic. The Dursley's view of normality had always been warped.

Since his relatives had left in somewhat of a hurry Harry hoped that his uncle hadn't had the time to take the money with them. Unlike the ground floor everything upstairs seemed as always besides being quite dusty.

Harry entered the master bedroom and began to look at the most common places. He finally found envelopes with money under the mattress and behind the picture of Petunia's and Vernon's wedding. Opening both envelopes Harry broke into a wide grin. JACKPOT! There was far more money than he would need. Suppressing any feeling of guilt for stealing from his relatives, they had never looked after him as they should after all, he pocketed both envelopes. Than Harry left the master bedroom he entered Dudley's room. Dudley's room was messy in an untidy way. Mindful of early risers in the neighbourhood Harry hurriedly emptied a dark blue backpack and packed a flashlight, batteries and Dudley's quite heavy piggybank. Looking forward to the first good meal in weeks Harry left the house the same way he had entered it.


End file.
